Suggestion / Discussion: Combustion Chamber user tag ++ ?

[GeeTee]

This may seem like it would be better placed in the Forum Information section as it is about the operation of this section of the forum as a whole rather than being an individual problem question.

But I think it's best here - as a discussion item that should involve members in this section to reach a conclusion (shame this forum doesn't have the facility to do votes on threads) which would then result in a suggestion for the change!

I'm a keen DIYer when it comes to plumbing and have had some great advice from the members here over the years that has not only furthered my knowledge and ability and saved me a fortune but most importantly - raised my awareness that I don't know what I don't know and more importantly again the potential danger of not knowing what I don't know.

It's been interesting following this forum over the last year, watching the changes - rules about postings related to gas safety, the appearance of the "Combustion Chamber" and how that has impacted on how threads progress (or are locked) and the repeated descendence into long debates on what advice should and shouldn't be allowed to be given in an open forum.

As a mere DIYer (the claimed target for this site as a whole) and ineligible for the CC so not privy to what I am sure are the endless debates going on there I find the whole thing really frustrating - start reading an interesting thread only to find after 3 or 4 posts it ends up with pages of the same people debating the same point over and over - resulting in no clear answer for the OP - more left with a feeling of "should I, shouldn't I - oh b*ll*x to it, the experts can't make up their minds I'll just have a go anyway".

Sorry - didn't mean to ramble

The point of this is to try to gather opinion from forum users - CC members and non CC members alike.

So:

1. Would members like to see a public, definitive declaration of exactly what can and cannot be discussed? i.e. something more than just "gas related"

2. Would members find it useful if Combustion Chamber members (authenticated by this site as CORGI registered I believe) are tagged as such when posting in this forum?

3. Given an OP who posts a question, the answer to which would involve gas safety (see the recent tightness test and 'ptfe then solder' hob threads as examples) - and that it is reasonably predictable that with no advice at all the OP will carry on regardless - should advice be allowed to be given?

3a. If so should that advice be limited to
i. Get an RGI
ii. Wider advice on how to proceed more safely and why what they are doing is entirely unsafe.
iii. If yes to giving advice on ii. should this only be allowed to be done by direct communication rather than on the thread?


Please, please answer the questions before allowing this to descend into yet another soap box debate

Hopefully we should be able to make this forum the useful and informative place it used to be rather than the endless cage fight it has now become.

Thanks
Graham

 

[Agile]

2. Would members find it useful if Combustion Chamber members (authenticated by this site as CORGI registered I believe) are tagged as such when posting in this forum?

Thanks
Graham

I think that they would find that useful and several people recently voiced that opinion.

So I attached the CORGI symbol to my postings but after a couple of days Marvellous Mod 10 decided to delete them, as usual, without any explanation!

******
No he didn't. Admin told you the forum rule you were breaking.
******


Unfortunately when you visit this site you encounter a range of replies of varying quality and correctness which must be very confusing to the person asking.

Its a pity the site owner is apparently unable or uninterested in creating a senario where a uniform consistency of informed advice is available.

Tony

 

[nickso]

interesting but im not in the CC and i am "qualified" to post advice.

 

[GeeTee]

@ Tony
You hit the point of this thread on the head - inconsistency.
Deletion of corgi logos from signatures - a good thing - anyone could put one in there.
Hence the idea of maybe putting something under a poster's name in the uneditable section.

I'm not going to be drawn into the marvellous mod 10 debate, I see him/her deleting closing things, but I don't know what they've been briefed to do or what other discussions they may be involved in. I will however give my observation as a DIYer - their actions seem inconsistent - it annoys me. This probably goes back to the question of rules being set, do these "mad" mods have the rules they need to be able to moderate?

Your points about OPs getting a variety of answers is a good one - and that will always be the case on a public forum. Users of such should be prepared to take on board a range of suggestions and make up their own minds. The point on this particular forum is that one erroneous advice could possibly harm the OP and their unwitting neighbours. Hence I think this goes Q1 and 3 - should a thread just be locked?



@nickso
Please read my OP. I'd like opinions from CC members or not - and I appreciate the "not" may well be moronic DIYers (the likes of me) as well as very competent and knowledgeable people I know regularly contribute to the forum but do not hold a "ticket". I'm not interested in defining "competence" or what allows people into the CC. I'm interested in getting views from the DIYnot community as a whole on the questions posed.

Thanks
Graham

 

[Bahco]

Good idea to have a small Corgi logo under members name.

Email Admin and see what he says.

 

[doitall]

Good idea to have a small Corgi logo under members name.

Email Admin and see what he says.

Admin says ferk all, I suggested this months ago and never even got a reply

 

[Bahco]

Try posting your suggestion in the Forum Information forum.

 

[doitall]

Try posting your suggestion in the Forum Information forum.

Done that and got the Tee shirt but still no reply

 

[Bahco]

Have you tried sending him a tenner?

 

[Agile]

Good idea to have a small Corgi logo under members name.
Email Admin and see what he says.

Admin says ferk all, I suggested this months ago and never even got a reply

I think its a good idea too, but when I added a CORGI logo after my name some Mad Mod deleted it, as usual without any explanation!

Tony

 

[doitall]

But anyone can do that Tony it needs to be under the user name, or quite simply what ATT and other forums do, and put your Trade there

 

[doitall]

Why move it

The topic is of interest to plumbers and heating engineers

More interfering perhaps.

 

[Agile]

But anyone can do that Tony it needs to be under the user name, or quite simply what ATT and other forums do, and put your Trade there

Yes, John, but any Mod would quickly remove it from anyone who is not registered.

Since it is the criminal offence of fraud to purport to be registered when not, anyone doing that would be severely reprimanded and banned from the site if they did it a second time.

Tony

 

[nickso]

@nickso
Please read my OP. I'd like opinions from CC members or not - and I appreciate the "not" may well be moronic DIYers (the likes of me) as well as very competent and knowledgeable people I know regularly contribute to the forum but do not hold a "ticket". I'm not interested in defining "competence" or what allows people into the CC. I'm interested in getting views from the DIYnot community as a whole on the questions posed.

Thanks
Graham

then i shall make myself clearer as i also have no interest in defining competence or getting into the now tiresome "is it right to give advice?" argument.

in relation to:

2. Would members find it useful if Combustion Chamber members (authenticated by this site as CORGI registered I believe) are tagged as such when posting in this forum?

3. Given an OP who posts a question, the answer to which would involve gas safety (see the recent tightness test and 'ptfe then solder' hob threads as examples) - and that it is reasonably predictable that with no advice at all the OP will carry on regardless - should advice be allowed to be given?

i am corgi registered but not in the CC. what could happen to my advice, which could be sound or not, if im not in the CC and not tagged? would i need to be in another elitist club to post advice? will it be deleted if im not?

im honestly not looking for an argument but was merely pointing out that not everyone in the CC can be trusted to give sound advice. this site pretty much regulates itself. if anyone gives poor advice it is pretty swiftly pointed out, albeit in an argumentative fashion sometimes.

there are perhaps ten regular posters who post for the majority of questions raised on here, i dont believe tagging them to indicate their supposed competence will reduce the arguments or provide any better advice.

and before another argu-fest begins im not suggesting anyone in particular is not competent.

 

[doitall]

My opinion is the Gas Chamber will be the death of DIYnot.

Either DIYnot is for DIYers or it panders to the elitists and bans everything remotely suspect.

As pointed out in the link Carbon Monoxide Kills very rare that gas does.

In that case ban appliances from discussion.
While we're at it ban Unvented cylinders because they could be dangerous.

Ban electric discussion because under part P you can't touch it.

According the the HSE theres more DIYers killed falling off steps than by gas, so ban decorating, that should make the guys happy.

There's more people killed every minute driving than gas, so in future you got to walk.

There's more people killed walking than by gas so ban walking.

There's more people killed by obesity than by gas.

Atmospheric pollution is the biggest killer in this country so take note Marvellous MOd 10, stop breathing or you're doomed.